Tyrone Taylorrecovery from the elbow sprain is not going as well as expected, Brewers manager Craig Consultant Todd Rosiak tells the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The team first disclosed Taylor’s injury last week and said Taylor would miss at least the first two weeks of spring games, but a more pessimistic update with games already underway clouds the 28-year-old’s readiness for the Opening Day.
“We’re no closer,” Counsell said. “As we move forward here, we’re definitely starting to worry because we want to get him started and he has no baseball activities going on, and we don’t have any on the horizon.”
Taylor, 29, hit .233/.286/.442 through a career-high 405 plate appearances last season, showing plenty of pop and a good glove across the three outfield spots, which helped offset his OBP ranked 181st among 205. players who tallied at least 400 plate appearances. Taylor’s right-handed batsman, on paper anyway, pairs nicely with left-swinging fielders like Christian Elizabeth, Jesse Winker and Garrett Mitchell. If the club wants to keep a right-handed bat in the outfield mix, an offseason signee Brian Anderson he could move from third base to right field, which set him free in the early going Luis Urias at third base. Expectation Brick Turang he could take second base if he makes the team, but Abraham Toro and Owen Miller could also see some time at the key.
The Brewers have plenty of flexibility to mix and match the roster, which has been a hallmark of their clubs in recent seasons. Milwaukee has yet to give a firm update on when Taylor might actually be able to return to action, but with Opening Day just over a month away and not progressing well in rehab, a period of IL is possible to start the season.
A few more notes from the section…
- The IS Cubs they did not provide a clear timetable as to how long Seiya Suzukithe strained oblique may keep him out of action – although the injury is significant enough that Suzuki withdrew from the World Baseball Classic. However, even in the case of some lost time, a free agent Jurickson’s profile not an option for the Cubs, writes Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. The team is about $8MM shy of the $233MM luxury tax barrier and doesn’t seem particularly inclined to cross it at this time, per Mooney, who says any remaining resources will likely be allocated to the bullpen or it will be reserved. potential mid-season upgrades on the trade market. If the Cubans are still considering other additions to the bullpen, some of the remaining top names include Zack Britton, Will Smith, Brad Hand and Corey Knebel.
- Imaging on Matt Reynolds revealed Grade 1 pressure in both quadriceps muscles, Red skipper David Bell he told reporters (Twitter link). Despite the pair of ailments, Reynolds is only expected to be sidelined for a few days, so he should still be in the running for a bench spot on Cincinnati’s roster to start the season. The 32-year-old appeared in a career-high 93 games for the Reds in 2022 and slashed .246/.320/.332 in 272 plate appearances and appeared at every position on the diamond except catcher.
- Piers prospect Bubba Chandler It has been reported that he will strictly be a pitcher this year, per Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline. A third-round draft pick in 2021, he has played both sides of the ball so far in his professional career. He threw 41 1/3 innings in the minors last year with a 2.61 ERA, striking out 34.7% of the batters he faced while walking 16.2%. At the plate, however, he hit just .196/.331/.382, walking in 16.1% of his trips to the plate but getting struck out 33.1% of the time. It appears that he has not ruled out a return to hitting the lineup, but will focus on his mound work for the time being.
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